Randy Sutton

Randy Sutton is a 33-year law enforcement veteran, a trainer, and the national spokesman for The American Council on Public Safety. He served 10 years with the Princeton (N.J.) Police Department and 23 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, retiring at the rank of lieutenant. He is an author who has published multiple books on law enforcement.

Want to Really Help an Officer in Trouble? Then Keep Your Cool and Maintain Your Professionalism

An “officer down” call is not the time to forget everything you know about being a cop.

Before their careers are over, most metropolitan officers and many small-town cops will have seen their fair share of violent assaults, horrendous accidents, and all manner of intraspecial mayhem. Along the way, these officers will step up and take charge of the situation at hand, obtaining necessary information, marshalling resources, and coordinating personnel. I’ve seen my fair share of squared-away cops take control of many a volatile and dangerous situation and will readily acknowledge a huge debt to them.

But I have seen other, perhaps similarly well-intentioned officers, who did not perform nearly as well. Unfortunately, their lackluster performances were exhibited in situations that demanded their “A” game.

By and large, the thing that’s most likely to cause cops to lose their discipline and professionalism is an emergency involving a fellow officer.

Is this phenomena simply analogous to gardeners whose own lawns are unkempt? Are cops so conditioned to be emotionally detached when dealing with incidents that their vision becomes clouded once the situation involves one of their own?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. But I do know this: I have never seen cops screw up in so many ways as they do in the aftermath of an officer-involved shooting, especially when a fellow officer is down.

Fortunately, this isn’t always the case. Even in officer-involved shootings, cops usually conduct themselves in an exemplary manner. But not always, and that’s what concerns me.In the aftermath of one deputy-involved shooting that occurred when I was on the job, deputies ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, not communicating anything about the suspect’s description and failing to establish a command post or containment. Meanwhile, precious minutes ticked off, giving the suspect time to put distance between himself and his would-be pursuers.

Deputies from another station also rolled on the call and later shared their observations with us. They said that not only had our guys been chasing ghosts, but they’d also failed to roll on another deputy's request for backup when another deputy said he saw a man running into a garage.

It turned out that the man seen running into that garage was a citizen. But the reason he was running in the first place was that he'd witnessed the deputy-involved shooting and fled when he saw the suspect running in his direction—which did not coincide with where the containment was belatedly effected.

Throughout, radio discipline was non-existent. People were keying microphones and asking questions, but they were ignoring answers and discarding suggestions in the same manner that monkeys throw poo and with just about as much positive effect. When it came to substantive communication, coordinating search efforts, establishing containment perimeters, requesting logistics, deploying resources, and updating suspect information, they proved mum.

I wish I could say this was an isolated occurrence, but it wasn’t. And I think the problem is that our responses to such situations are not routinely discussed, dissected, or otherwise Monday morning quarterbacked. That degree of critical attention is usually reserved for the incidents that precipitate officer down situations, not our responses to them.

Our responses to such incidents should be examined just as critically. Given that few things can get a cop’s adrenaline pumping harder than an “officer down” call, it’s really a no-brainer.

We can honor fallen comrades in no greater manner than by training on the front end for such possibilities. In exhibiting discipline and professionalism in such emergencies, we will ensure that injured officers get the assistance they need and maybe even the justice they deserve.

Recommended Stories

Comments (3)

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3

deltaalpha @ 11/16/2007 11:45 AM

My Opinion is to first and foremost practise possibel situations and learn to contain .....Bottom line when any Officer isinjured establish perimeters immediately ---If all avilable units respond they must coordinate with those first on scene. Regardless of experience or the desire to assist they must work as unit or suspects could escape & evidence crucial to the incident could be lost.

David Moore S-55 @ 11/16/2007 10:45 PM

This shows the most important side of all (OD) incidents and the life-line of radio discipline, vital communication to catch the perp. Action/results are 7/24 especially in the interest of Officer, team-Safety!! For younger Officers coming up looking to you for direction, guidance, give them what they need and deserve - leadership by example. Contribute to their safety and general level of capability which can range from normal and alert, to various states of distraction and impairment. This article is a Perfect example of why we have two ear's and only one mouth! Assistance and Justice says it all, along with debriefings & lessons learned - not relagated to file 13 where learning stops!!Thanks....Dave

ronavallone2 @ 3/30/2008 4:23 PM

BEING SHOT AT IS NO JOKE! I have returned fire w/ few casualties, justified, and I thank God for good training and partners. Communication esential, always an IC, mine was a partner, a sgt. Chaos erupted in a crowd of hundreds, but we worked well together amongst other deputies. While on an alternate channel city PD backed us up w/in minutes and that's not the first time. Sometimes being short staffed they were my saving grace and I them. Communications are essential. Commaderie all the way!

Loading...

Join the Discussion

POLICE Magazine does not tolerate comments that include profanity, personal attacks or antisocial behavior (such as "spamming" or "trolling"). This and other inappropriate content or material will be removed. We reserve the right to block any user who violates this, including removing all content posted by that user.

Other Recent Blog Posts

Yes! Please rush me my FREE TRIAL ISSUE of POLICE magazine and FREE Officer Survival Guide with tips and tactics to help me safely get out of 10 different situations.

Just fill in the form to the right and click the button to receive your FREE Trial Issue.

If POLICE does not satisfy you, just write "cancel" on the invoice and send it back. You'll pay nothing, and the FREE issue is yours to keep. If you enjoy POLICE, pay only $25 for a full one-year subscription (12 issues in all). Enjoy a savings of nearly 60% off the cover price!